AU reacts to Madiba's passing

Messages of support continue to pour in on Friday morning as news of former President Nelson Mandela’s passing spreads.

The chairperson of the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, expressed her grief on the passing of the world icon and Nobel Peace Prize laureate.

She said Madiba, as he was fondly known, “symbolises the spirit of Pan Africanism and solidarity in the struggles of humanity against apartheid, oppression and colonialism and for self-determination, peace and reconciliation”.

Dlamini Zuma, who instructed that flags at the AU fly at half-mast, called on Africa to continue to honour his legacy.

Before his imprisonment in 1963 for 27 years, Mandela visited countless African countries that without fail pledged and rendered unflinching support for the struggle of the South African people.

“Mandela has fought a good fight, and bowed out with great reverence. His passing on is a great loss to his family, to our continent and indeed to humanity itself,” said Dlamini Zuma.

A condolences book has been opened at the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The commission will have a wall of remembrance on its website, and Africans are encouraged to deposit messages of condolences on the site. – SAnews.gov.za